Data
Lieutenant Commander Data was a Soong-type android, the first and only such being to ever enter Starfleet. Creation & "Childhood" Data was the third known android creation by Dr. Noonien Soong. He was built on the planet Omicron Theta in ca. 2336, after Lore was deactivated, and over the protests of Soong's wife Juliana. In his earliest existence, Data was much like a baby, struggling with motor control and sensory input. Over time, he learned about himself and his world, and his programming was refined by the Doctors Soong, who attempted to eliminate certain undesirable behaviors. Problems included a disregard for social niceties (courtesies like "Please" and "Thank you"), and a lack of appreciation for clothing (Data did not see any neccessity since he "didn't suffer from the elements"). In regards to the latter issue, the Soongs had to write a "modesty subroutine", because the colonists objected to an anatomically accurate android being unclothed. Eventually they decided to program Data with the logs and journals of the colonists, while simultaneously wiping his memory of his early existence. Unfortunately, the Crystalline Entity attacked before Data was reactivated. It is possible, though it cannot be confirmed, that they believed Data's basic programming had been stabilized and perfected, and were preparing him for a second, main phase of his developement. Juliana had come to view Data as her beloved son, but always feared that he would fail like the early androids, or become dangerous, like Lore, and he would have to be dismantled. This fear motivated her to lie to Noonien when they fled, forcing him to leave Data behind, inactive.(TNG: "Inheritance") Specifications Data was composed of 24.6 kilos of tripolymer composites, 11.8 kilos of molybdenum-cobalt alloys and 1.3 kilos of bioplast sheeting. (TNG: "The Most Toys") Data's upper spinal support was a polyalloy designed for extreme stress. His skull was composed of cortenide and duranium. (TNG: "The Chase") Data was built with the ultimate storage capacity of eight hundred quadrillion bits (approximately 88 petabytes) and a total linear computational speed rated at sixty trillion operations per second. (TNG: "The Measure of a Man") Discovery Data was found on the planet Omicron Theta by the [[USS Tripoli|USS Tripoli]] in 2338, after the Crystalline Entity destroyed the entire colony on the planet. (TNG: "Datalore") Academy and Early Career Data chose to enter Starfleet Academy, as he had been found by members of Starfleet. (TNG:"Brothers") He was permitted to enter the Academy in 2341, and spent four years there, graduating with honours in exobiology and probability mechanics. (TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint", TNG: "The Measure of a Man") One of Data's first assignments out of Starfleet Academy was aboard the [[USS Trieste|USS Trieste]]. (TNG: "Clues") He spent three years as an ensign and twelve as a lieutenant before being promoted to lieutenant commander in 2360. (TNG:"Brothers") In 2364 he was assigned to the [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D)|USS Enterprise-D]] as its second officer. By 2365, Data would have earned the Starfleet Command Decoration for Gallantry, Medal of Honor with clusters, Legion of Honor, and the Star Cross. (TNG: "The Measure of a Man") By early 2368, Data had encountered 1,754 non-Human races during his tenure with Starfleet. (TNG: "Darmok") Aboard the USS Enterprise-D Data served as operations/science officer and second officer onboard the USS Enterprise-D from 2364 until that ship's destruction in 2371. As well as serving as the ship's second officer, he also participated in most of the away missions undertaken. His speed of thought and great strength made him an important asset to the ship, and the fact that he was unaffected by disease, radiation or mind control was vital on more than one occasion. Command Duties As well as performing his usual watch duties, where he preferred to take the night watch, (TNG: "Data's Day") he took overall command of the Enterprise on a number of occasions. The first of these was in 2364, when a holodeck virus incapacitated the entire crew while in orbit around Angel I. Although the ship had been ordered to the Romulan Neutral Zone, Data’s interpretation of the orders allowed the Enterprise to remain in orbit long enough to rescue the away team members stranded on the planet. (TNG: "Angel One")) He also took command of the ship in 2367 when, with the Enterprise trapped in a Tyken's Rift, the crew began to suffer from lack of REM sleep, causing loss of concentration and hallucinations. The brainwaves of the crew were being affected by a ship trapped on the other side of the Rift, whose crew was attempting to communicate with the Enterprise. Along with Counselor Troi, he freed the ship by releasing hydrogen which when combined with a substance carried by the other ship released enough energy to collapse the Rift. (TNG: "Night Terrors") During the blockade of the Klingon-Romulan border during the Klingon Civil War in 2368, Data was placed in command of the [[USS Sutherland|USS Sutherland]]. Despite the first officer being hostile to his android nature, the Sutherland managed to detect the cloaked Romulan ships attempting to supply the forces of Duras. Data himself recommended he be disciplined for disobeying an order to fall back, but was instead praised by Captain Picard. (TNG: "Redemption, Part II") Aboard the USS Enterprise-E He served onboard the [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-E)|USS Enterprise-E]] from the ship's launch in 2372. Data served in the second Borg incursion of 2373. He was captured by the Borg Queen and was tempted by the Queen to betray Starfleet for only 0.68 seconds. By 2379, Commander Data was beginning trained as first officer of the Enterprise before Riker transferred to the Titan. But before Data could take the role, he was killed while saving the Enterprise from the Scimitar, a Reman warbird. ("Star Trek: Nemesis") Understanding Humanity Data was a major influence in the quest to grant androids sentience. Data was ordered by Commander Bruce Maddox to submit to an untested procedure that Maddox believed would grant him a greater understanding of the technology behind Data's positronic brain. Data studied Maddox's proposal and found it to be flawed, prompting Maddox to assert his authority and order Data to submit. Data refused and resigned from Starfleet, but Maddox challenged his right to do so, claiming that Data was property, not a sentient lifeform, a position supported by the Captain Phillipa Louvois of the Judge Advocate General's office. Captain Jean-Luc Picard challenged this position, stating that Data currently represented an entire race and duplicating him for the purposes of enforced labour constituted slavery. Louvois agreed with Picard's standpoint and ruled that Data was a sentient being with full rights under Federation law. (TNG "The Measure of a Man") Data, however, continued to communicate with Commander Maddox, assisting him in his work. (TNG "Data's Day") Data wished to become more human in his behavior, often with unfortunate results. His attempts at humor were not successful. One particularily hard aspect of human behavior was romance and love. He attempted to have a relationship with Jenna D'Sora, but it didn't last long. (TNG: "In Theory") Data was programmed with several pleasing techniques and is "fully functional". Data had a sexual relationship with Tasha Yar during the influence of polywater intoxication (TNG: "The Naked Now"). This was the case also in 2373, when the Borg Queen seduced him. ("Star Trek: First Contact") Data was also very fond of art. He tried several forms, including painting, acting, playing and singing. Data played violin and performed on several occations. He also sang the classic "Blue Skies" at Riker's wedding. He began using an emotion chip in 2371, one year after he acquired it from his brother Lore. (TNG "Brothers", TNG "Descent, Part II") At first, he had some difficulties adjusting to the onslaught of emotions, but he eventually learned to control them. After the initial adjustment period, he was able to turn the chip on and off, and later to remove it completely. (Star Trek: Generations, Star Trek: First Contact) Alternate timelines In an alternate timeline created by Q, by the year 2395, Data was a professor at Cambridge University and lived at Isaac Newton's house with a housekeeper and several cats. He had also dyed part of his hair grey, as he thought it made him look older. (TNG: "All Good Things...") Inconsistencies In "Encounter at Farpoint," Data said that he graduated in the Starfleet Academy Class of '76. Some fans have used this as evidence for different dating schemes for Star Trek: The Next Generation, however, it is more likely an error, as the exact setting had not been firmly nailed down when the script was written. Data was often seen playing many musical instruments, such as the oboe, and particularly the violin. In these scenes, he played the violin right-handed. However, in TNG: "Time's Arrow", he used a pen to write a delivery note with his left-hand. However, Data, being an android, has the ability to use both hands. Chronology * ca. 2336: Built by Dr. Noonien Soong and Juliana Soong on Omicron Theta. * 2338: Discovered by the crew of the USS Tripoli. * 2341: Permitted to enter Starfleet Academy. * 2345: Graduates from Starfleet Academy. * 2350s: Serves aboard the USS Trieste. * 2363: Assigned as Chief of Operations aboard the USS Enterprise-D. * 2364: Discovered first brother, Lore, on Omicron Theta. * 2366: Constructs daughter, Lal, aboard the USS Enterprise-D. * 2372: Re-assigned as Chief of Operations aboard the USS Enterprise-E. * 2379: Discovered second brother, B-4, on Kolarus III; destroyed in the destruction of the Reman warbird Scimitar. de:Data